Hug in school leads to Benton teen's arrest

Feb. 14, 2012

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A Benton County high school student serving two years on probation for a prior sex offense has been arrested following what family and friends describe as a friendly hug.

About 1:30 p.m. Friday, a junior high guidance counselor was walking through the commons area of Benton Central Jr.-Sr. High School when she saw 17-year-old Christopher Hurych and a 13-year-old female acquaintance hug, according to court documents filed in Hurych's most recent arrest.

Hours later, police arrested Hurych at his home for violating his probation, which dictates he have no unsupervised contact with minors.

Hurych's probation stems from a sexual encounter when he was 15 with his then 13-year-old girlfriend, said his father, Steve Hurych.

On July 30, 2010, Hurych was found guilty of child molesting, a Class B felony, and possession of a controlled substance, a Class C felony.

Court documents show that Christopher Hurych was placed on two years probation, scheduled to end July 30, 2012.

Steve Hurych said his son has acknowledged his past mistakes and is trying to move forward -- something he worries will be tougher in light of this event.

Christopher Hurych is currently being held at a juvenile detention center in Muncie.

"What scares me more than anything is, when he comes out of Muncie is he going to be a different person?" Steve Hurych said.

Benton Superintendent Destin Haas said he couldn't legally comment on specifics of the case but told the Journal & Courier, "The bottom line is our job is to make sure students are safe at all times."

Although Steve Hurych questions how interaction with minors during school hours can be considered unsupervised, Haas said his understanding of "supervision" was supervision by a member of law enforcement.

Complicating things, said Steve Hurych, is that his son is mildly mentally handicapped. As a result, he has suffered depression that resulted in self cutting.

According to the 13-year-old's parents, their daughter is now bearing much of the guilt for the incident. It's their daughter, mother Karen Barrera said, who instigated the hug.

"I told her it's not her fault but she still blames herself," Karen Barrera said. "She's constantly kicking herself."

Greg Barrera said the hug was a gesture of friendship.

"They're just really good friends," he said. "We're really tight with his family. It's just an innocent hug and now he is sitting in Muncie's detention center."

A detention hearing was scheduled for Tuesday morning, but it was postponed upon a request by Hurych's lawyer. It has not yet been rescheduled.